1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to protective headwear, and more particularly to helmets that enhance the visibility of the wearer to others that are in the vicinity of the helmet wearer.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
The numerous benefits of protective headwear or helmets have been known for some time. For example, workers and other persons at certain physically hazardous jobsites have long been required to wear helmets, as have participants in many contact sports. As another example, some states require motorcyclists to wear helmets while operating their motorcycles in such jurisdictions. More recently, the importance of wearing helmets has been recognized and continues to gain more acceptance for various activities such as, for example, road and off-road bicycling, skiing, snowboarding, inline skating, roller skating, and/or other activities.
Extensive efforts have gone into improving helmet technologies. Such improvements have notably increased the ability of helmets to absorb energy during crashes, collisions, or other helmet impacts. This can reduce severity or, in some cases, even prevent head injuries during such events. Although such technological improvements to helmets may reduce severity of or prevent some head injuries, they do little to actually prevent crashes, collisions, or other helmet impacts from occurring in the first place.
At times, crashes or collisions occur because the individuals were not seen at all or soon enough by the other individual or individuals in the collision. This can occur on roadways when other roadway users do not notice a motorcyclist, bicyclist, or other roadway user. This can also occur at other, non-roadway locations if, for example, an off-road bicycle trail rider is unable to see other trail riders, or a skier or snowboarder is unable to see other skiers or snowboarders, during low light conditions or other periods of poor-visibility.
In efforts to reduce such incidents, attempts have been made to increase the visibility of helmet wearers to others by incorporating, for example, bright colors, reflective materials, and/or lights, into helmets and/or other apparel of the non-automobile vehicle users. Specifically regarding previous attempts for incorporating lights into helmets, even though such previous attempts have been at least somewhat successful and beneficial, these previous designs are typically rather complex and expensive to make. In addition, such previous helmets have not incorporated an appropriate means of illumination to more successfully present a visual signal that is quickly and easily noticed by others in the vicinity of the helmet wearer, in both daylight and nighttime conditions. Specific utilization of such a visual signal is essential to the utility of a helmet incorporating lights in potentially preventing some collisions. This lack of appropriate visual signal is potentially the reason that government studies to date have not demonstrated utility of current helmet lights in preventing bicycle accidents. Accordingly, previous helmets that incorporated lights have found only modest commercial success, whereby further technological developments could prove desirable.
Some previous attempts of incorporating lights into helmets have included high-powered head lamps that are configured to help the wearer see during times of low ambient lighting. These head lamps consume a lot of power, are primarily configured to improve a wearer's ability to see straight ahead during low-light conditions, although such configurations may only marginally improve the wearer's ability to see during such conditions, and can only be seen by others if they are in front of the wearer of the helmet.
Other previous attempts include turn signals, brakes lights, and/or constantly illuminated taillights that are incorporated into helmets either in addition to or in place of the previously described headlights. Here too, such systems consume a lot of power and these also have to be integrated into the electronic system of, for example, the wearer's motorcycle in a manner that allows the lights of the helmet to illuminate in unison with the turn signal indicators and/or brake lights of the motorcycle. Integrating a helmet as a motorcycle lighting component in this manner typically requires the helmet to be physically and electronically tethered to the motorcycle's electronics system. This increases system complexity and can require a wiring harness that attaches the helmet to the motorcycle, which may dangle in the view of and/or otherwise disturb the wearer.
Other attempts of incorporating lights into motorcycle helmets also require wiring harnesses that connect the helmets to the electronics systems of the motorcycles, because the lighting systems use large amounts of power, making operating such systems on battery power alone, difficult or wholly impractical. For example, various attempts have been made to illuminate large surface areas of helmets with numerous lights or with large electroluminescent panels that cover such large surface areas. Many of these systems also require complex and expensive components such as, for example, DC to AC power inverters that may also be undesirably bulky and heavy for implementation into helmets.
Other attempts at providing helmets with integrated lights tend to use large amounts of power because they are continuously energized while being worn. For example, some such helmets have lights that automatically turn on or illuminate when the helmets are put on by their wearers. To accomplish this, switches for energizing the lights have previously been incorporated into chinstrap clasps or incorporated as pressure-activated switches in the interiors of helmets. In both situations, with clasp or interior switches, the lights turn on when the wearer puts the helmet on and the lights stay illuminated the entire time that the helmet is being worn.
However, there are times when wearers may not want their helmets to be illuminated, even though they are wearing them. For example, if helmet-wearing motorcyclists are refueling their motorcycles, they may want to talk to each other but may also want to leave their helmets on. However, illuminated helmets may be a distraction during such conversations, or may otherwise be considered undesirable in that situation. As another example, if helmet-wearing bicyclists are taking a break from riding to consult a map and hold a conversation, illuminated helmets may be a distraction during such conversations, or may otherwise be considered undesirable in that situation. As yet another example, when helmet-wearing skiers are riding up a hill on a chairlift together, illuminated helmets may be a distraction or may otherwise be considered undesirable during the chairlift ride.
In light of the foregoing, an illuminated helmet is desired that improves the state of the art by overcoming various ones of the aforesaid problems of the prior art.